Shameless Self Expression

It’s 1964 and martial arts teacher Ip Man (Donnie Yen) is dying of cancer and his son has been expelled from school for standing up to bullies. His former student Bruce Lee (Chan Kwok-Kwan) invites Ip Man to visit him in the US where he is controversially bringing kung-fu to the Western world. He’s about to host a tournament, and with Ip Man thinking of sending his wayward son abroad to study, he decides to go along and check things out on both fronts. Old-school Chinese elders in the US are none-too pleased with Mr. Lee’s teaching kung-fu to Westerners. When Ip Man struggles to find financial backing to send his son to an American private school, Chinese Benevolent Association chairman Master Wan (Yue Wu) suggests he may be able to assist of Ip Man deals with their little Bruce Lee problem. Ip Man doesn’t like the sound of that deal, however. Meanwhile, Master Wan’s daughter is having similar bully problems at school as Ip Man’s son. Then there’s the matter of Lee student and U.S. Mar

“The Sign of Four” : Every year for several years on the anniversary of her father’s disappearance, Miss Morston has received pearls and a mysterious map with four names written on it, including her father’s. Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Stock) are called in to investigate. An oddball figure named Thaddeus Sholto (Paul Daneman) claims to have some knowledge in the matter. “The Blue Carbuncle” : Holmes and Watson investigate the theft of a priceless blue gem on behalf of a domineering Lady Morcar (Madge Ryan).   In the mid 60s, the BBC broadcast two seasons of Sherlock Holmes mysteries, both with Nigel Stock as Dr. Watson, and with Douglas Wilmer and Peter Cushing playing Sherlock Holmes for a season each. Almost all of Wilmer’s season has survived, but only about 5 episodes of the Cushing season have survived to this day. I purchased (very cheaply at under 5 bucks, I might add) a DVD with two of Cushing’s episodes, which are the subject of this review.  

A bespectacled and dishevelled Neville Brand is the insane proprietor of the rundown Starlight Hotel who kills people and feeds them to a pet crocodile/alligator he keeps as a pet. William Finley, Marilyn Burns and young Kim Richards play a bickering family and potential victims, Carolyn Jones plays brothel owner Miss Hattie, and Robert Englund plays a sleazy creep named Buck whose favourite activity rhymes with his name. Stuart Whitman turns up as a local lawman, and Mel Ferrer is a concerned father of hooker Roberta Collins.   1976 cult item from director Tobe Hooper ( “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” , “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” , “Lifeforce” ) is one of those films like Jack Hill’s “Spider Baby” where it’s such a bizarre and consistently watchable experience that it doesn’t even really matter that it’s not an especially good film. More in league with “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” than the original “TCM” , it’s the furthest thing from subtle, but it’s so nuts that you just sit there s

Horror star Paul Toombes (Vincent Price) retired from the business after his wife’s murder caused a nervous breakdown. When asked by a doctor, he doesn’t even know if he’s the one who killed her or not. Some years later he is out of the title asylum and persuaded to return to England to reprise his most famous role Dr. Death. The man who persuades Toombes to come out of retirement is the character’s co-creator Herbert Flay (Peter Cushing), who is also a failed former actor. Unfortunately, once shooting begins on the new TV series, cast and crew start getting bumped off by someone in a Dr. Death costume. Who could it be doing the killing? Robert Quarry plays an a-hole producer of the series who constantly needles Toombes, Adrienne Corri plays an insane old lady (and Flay’s wife), Linda Hayden plays a young actress, and Natasha Pyne is the PR girl who greets Toombes when he arrives back in England.   AIP and Amicus Films teamed up for this thoroughly disappointing 1974 mess from dire